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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29837304">Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chillienova/pseuds/Chillienova'>Chillienova</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Disney - All Media Types, Epic Mickey (Video Games)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Royalty, Discord Roleplay, Epic Mickey AU, Royalty</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 21:53:33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,821</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29837304</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chillienova/pseuds/Chillienova</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>An alternative universe of Epic Mickey, Post EM 2. Oswald and his wife and kids lived in the lovely Dark Beauty Castle until one day it came crumbling down. Someone else wants the throne, and to do that they not only need to get rid of Oswald, but all of his siblings, too.<br/>Mostly copy pasted off of a roleplay.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The Fall of the Castle</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>His head felt fuzzy and numb. He was present mentally but none of the rest of his body felt like anything at all. He couldn't even open his eyelids. Did he have any eyelids at all? He wouldn't be surprised if he was dead. </p><p>Fortunately, He was alive. It took a full minute for his senses to come back alive. He could feel a very gentle breeze. Hundreds of cold sharp rocks protruded into his back and arms as he lied on the ground. How long was he there? It hurt like hell. </p><p>He was finally able to open his eyes. A partly cloudy sky shone overhead. He slowly and carefully sat himself up. His back ached from laying there so long. He had no idea where he was, but it all seemed normal aside from that fact. He didn't try to stand. His legs were clearly too weak to do much. All he could do was sit and remember what happened before this moment.</p><p>The castle. He was doing nothing but reading in his library when loud shouting came from down the hall. 'My wife', he thought to himself. When he followed the sounds of the yelling he saw his beautiful wife being shoved into a room by an unrecognizable dark figure who followed her. Strange looking guards-like figures charged at him from every direction as soon as his presence was known, he felt something hit him hard in the face, and everything went black. </p><p>Did they take him somewhere away from the Castle? Were they going to hurt his family. A sudden burst of rage towards the unknown pushed him off the ground and onto his feet, but the second he was up, a wave of nausea overtook him and he hurled over and fell to the ground again with a thud.</p><p>* * *</p><p>The sound of footsteps filled the emptiness that surrounded the interior of the Castle. What was left of it, anyways. It was destroyed and in ruins. Just the feeling of being inside alone terrified the gremlin, who was already shaken to his core by the recent incident in his village.</p><p>Those horrible figures stormed in and attacked the entire village. Anything that moved was destroyed. Pascal was sent to the castle to get help, but no one was to be found. He was too late, and the Castle had already been attacked. </p><p>He searched every single room on every floor of the castle. He began to think that it was a waste of time, that no one was really here. That thought was very quick to change when he entered a fairly small library. A musty smell of old books filled his nose. He had seen multiple other libraries here, but this one was much tinier and it looked hardly ever used, aside from the fact that most of the ceiling was caved it, and the sunlight from outside lit the room away from shadows.</p><p>Thats when he saw him. The nearly unconscious rabbit that lied amongst the rubble. He was severely injured, but his chest rose and fell, calming the gremlin as he rushed to help. He shook his shoulders in a panic, hoping to get any kind of response from the toon. 

"Wake up, Please!"

Oswald could faintly hear the sound of someone's voice. Assuming the stranger was here to hurt him, his body went into panic. His eyes shot open. He used all the strength he had to kick whoever the stranger was away, while backing up blindly until his back hit a wall, His arm was firmly wrapped around his stomach, a burning pain slowly getting more and more intense from that area. 

He squinted his eyes to get a feel for his surroundings. He was in a room in his castle. One of the rooms at the very top that he never visited. But didnt he see the sky? Oh, That must have been the rubble he was laying on, This part of the ceiling caved it and crashed. He focused his attention back at the stranger.

"Who are you?" He spoke in a hoarse voice. He suddenly became very aware of how dry his throat was. It stung to speak.</p><p>"M-My name is Pascal, I'm here looking for the king. Gremlin Village was attacked and..." His train of thought wandered. He stood up, brushing away the dust from his clothes as he took another step closer to the rabbit.</p><p>"What happened here? Was the... Was the castle attacked by /them/ too..?" His fear showed through the trembling of his body. The castle creaked and moved.</p><p>'I'm the king' Oswald said in his head. His arm grew slick and wet with blood as he finally acknowledged the giant wound over his stomach as he wrapped his arm around it in pain. He struggled to stand. His head felt dizzy and it throbbed like a heartbeat. He held his weight up with the wall. "Who's they? What happened here, I-Is everyone okay?"</p><p>Pascal shook his head no, his eyebrows pointed down in worry and confusion. "I.. I don't know the answer to any of that! All I know is that we need to get out of here." He looked around as the castle violently shook, distant crumbling and crashing filling the silent void.</p><p>"What was that..." Oswald spoke in a whisper as the shaking died down, as if speaking with alert would cause it to happen again. Oswald glanced at a window nearby. It was shattered open, broken glass seen all over the floor. He wanted to see outside, see if anything else was as damaged as the room he stood in, but it was too far away to reach without his legs giving out. They were already threatening to.</p><p>His mind shifted to his family. His wife and children. "M-My wife... my kids! I need to find them! Where are they?" He panicked. If he was this hurt, what could have happened to them? Pascal stepped closer once more. "I don't know, but we need to leave! Can't you see this castle is crumbling beneath us?!" He reached out his hand. "Please, You're hurt! I didn't see anyone else in the castle, We need to go now!"</p><p>Oswald hesitated. The ground below them shook more violently every second. A million things ran through his head at once. How long was he asleep? How did all this happen? Who put him up here? He finally reached his arm out towards the other for support, landing on the fact that well, there was no other choice. "Dizzy... Help me." He pleaded as he took the others hand.</p><p>Pascal picked the rabbit up. Going out the way he came was out of the question. He scanned the room and found his window of opportunity. Literally. The shattered window was just big enough for them to jump through. His feet worked faster than his mind did, clutching Oswald as tight as he could. "I'm gonna need you to hang on tight, this might get dangerous".</p><p>Oswald glanced at the oncoming window. They were incredibly high up, on the highest point if the castle. It didn't help the fact that he had a fear of heights. "This is dumb, we're gonna die..." He whispered as he shut his eyes and held onto the gremlin tightly.</p><p>As soon as they jumped, Pascal had got his feet flapping. Flying while holding an entire person was a little awkward, but it worked like a charm none the less. They slowly drifted to safety. Where /was/ safe around here anymore, he thought. "Don't worry, just hang tight. I'll get you patched up in no time." He spoke softly, despite the quivering fear in his voice.</p><p>The distant sound of crashing, snapping, and crumbling slowly faded the further they flew. Everything Oswald loved, everything he worked for just so he could be happy, was gone. Even his family. He was a little bit in denial. He kept whispering to himself repeatedly. "This is a dream, Ozzy, You're going to wake up soon."</p><p>'Ozzy'? The gremlin thought to himself. 'Thats very similar to the kings name'. He shook the thought away and focused on getting to safer grounds. This was just the beginning, and It was going to get a whole lot worse from here.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Floatyard Floats Away</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A lovely world, here in Floatyard. Would be a shame....</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Pascal landed, entering a small, shabby hut. He lied Oswald down on a cot. Its condition was mediocre at best. He paced the room, searching every surface and drawer for a med kit. He knew he had one, so he knew it had to be somewhere. "Where is it? Where is it?! Where did you put it, Pascal?" He whisper shouted to himself, trying not to let his frustration disturb his injured guest.</p><p>Oswald sighed. Anywhere but that rough, pointy, sharp rubble dusted floor at the castle felt like heaven to him. Well, what used to be the castle, anyways. The soreness in his back faded into a numb aching. His eyes were shut the entire flight here, so the feeling of confusion concerning his location stayed put, maybe even worse than before. Now, though, that didn't matter. He needed rest. His body craved it and his mind knew better than to say no. He relaxed his body into the cot, enjoying the peaceful environment while he could.</p><p>"I found it!" the gremlin exclaimed as he pulled a med kit from a rusty metal chest in the corner of the room. "Hold on, alright?" Pascal walked to the toon, kneeling beside him. He placed the small kit on the floor and opened it. It wasn't too deep of a cut, thankfully. He could go without stitches. He grabbed a pack of cleansing wipes, meant to get rid of any bad bacteria from wounds. They were surprisingly not dry considering the small flimsy pack they were in.</p><p>Oswald was out of it, dazed and tired. He wouldn't notice the sting too bad. He gently cleaned the gash on the rabbits stomach. Although not deep, it was certainly still big. Reaching from one end of his torso to the other. He cleaned away bacteria as well as the mixture of dried and fresh blood. He noticed it was still slightly bleeding. He hoped the bandages would fix that issue. After quickly checking over the rest of his body for more injuries and cleaning them up, he placed the wipes back into the kit and pulled out the roll of bandages.</p><p>Through the silent protest of the exhausted toon, Pascal helped him to a sitting position to aid in the process of wrapping him up. Oswald absentmindedly raised his arms as the gremlin wrapped the bandages over his torso with a shaky hand. He lied him back down once he was finished. "That should be enough..." He placed the rest of the bandages into the kit and closed it up. He walked away to place it somewhere more easy to find next time around.</p><p>He felt more awake and aware after being patched up. He was still in a hell of a lot of pain, but he felt much cleaner and less sore than before. His eyes had finally adjusted to the dark-ish room, and it didn't hurt to keep them open anymore. The room was small, but cozy. He turned his head to the side, watching the gremlin who was currently hospitalizing him. He's never met him before, but if it wasn't for him he would probably be dead by now. He cleared his throat, testing the capabilities of his vocal chords before speaking in a quiet and hoarse voice. "It was... Pascal, wasn't it?" It was clear his throat was dry from all the dust caused by whatever caused the ceiling in that room at the castle to cave in.</p><p>"Thank you..." Pascal turned to the rabbit, a small frown on his face. He appreciated the gratitude, but he was too worried about his health to respond. "You need to save your energy. You lost quite a bit of blood." He glanced away, an awkward silence filling the air. "Umm, Do you... Do you know what your blood type is?" He asked. "No... No I don't think I ever payed attention to that. Don't worry too much, I've been through worse. I feel fine other than the obvious..." He paused, annoyed at the sound of his own voice, and the dry feeling in his throat. "Do you maybe have any water?"</p><p>Pascal hummed in thought. He might, but he couldn't remember. He had to have <em>something</em>, at least if he didn't drink it all already. "I'll go check" He spoke as he turned to search through the hut once more. He approached a corner where a crate was covered by a tart. Removing the tarp, he began rummaging through. His non perishable foods and water bottles were usually kept here, so it didn't hurt to look. Things like jars of honey, powdered milks and multiple empty glass and plastic jars and bottles were neatly placed inside. </p><p>While the other's back was turned, he took the opportunity to sit up. His back still ached, but he couldn't help the uncomfortable urge to stretch and yawn. He rubbed his throat, flinching in discomfort of the dryness. He shifted his weight to see past Pascal and into the crate and what was inside. "Aha, Found some!" The gremlin chirped as he stood, two small glass jars filled with water in his hands. He walked over to the toon. In one had was a simple normal looking jar of water. The other one seemed... special. The water was almost unnaturally colored a lighter blue. The gave the 'special' one to Oswald. Oswald took it wish a puzzled look. "It has electrolytes. You might need it." The gremlin spoke as he opened the cork of his own jar.</p><p>Oswald tugged the cork off the jar and took a sip of the mysteriously colored water. He tasted it, and suddenly it left like he'd never drank a drop of water in his life. It was incredibly refreshing, and he nearly downed the entire jar in five seconds. He stopped halfway to take a breather. He deeply inhaled, enjoying the satisfying breath of fresh air that felt a lot better on his throat now that it wasn't a desert. "I defiantly needed that. Feel 10 times better already." He spoke with a smile. "Certainly seemed like it" The gremlin chuckled as he took a sip of his own water. It was quite... flavorful. That's to be expected, he supposed, from where one would get water in the place Pascal was from. </p><p>He sighed, and picked something up off the table beside him. "Is this too dark for you? I can leave the lights off if you want..." A small remote sat in his hands. Oswald glanced around, noting the various fairy lights on the walls. He pondered his opinion. A little light wouldn't hurt. Would give him a better look of the room he was in, and a better look at his savior. Or his captor, Oswald thought. He didn't know much about who this was. For all he knew, he could be a bad guy. "Light would be nice, thank you." He responded while sitting back, resting back.</p><p>Pascal nodded, pressing a button on the remote in hand. It made an audible 'click' sound as he did. Soft lights flickered on, a gentle haze of blue. It was dim, but comforting. The hut was tiny, but it fit a lot inside. Multiple shelves lined the walls, welded in place. They held small trinkets and knic knacs, all in good conditions, as well as the necessary survival things, and a classic little toolbox in another corner as well. He listened as Oswald sighed. It was a charming little hut. Nothing compared to the environments he was used to, but he still enjoyed it. It did get his mind thinking. His home, the Dark Beauty Castle. It was gone, <em>really</em> gone. It was unmistakable, the soul shattering cracking and crumbling sounds that filled the area as they escaped. He had no idea where his family was, and he was even more confused as to how and why any of this was happening at all. He looked at the gremlin, looking for an excuse to think of something else other than his home.</p><p>"At the castle, when you found me... You spoke something about looking for the king? Why is that?" The rabbits question brought him out of his own thoughts. He flinched. Right, the village. How could he have forgotten? He was still shaken up about it. He searched his mind for the details. "I was sent... Gremlin Gus told me to find the king. There were these... These <em>Figures</em>, and they..." He trailed off, another thought creeping into his mind. "Gus told me  to tell the king so he could help us, but when I got there, the castle was already empty." His expression grew saddened. "Gus... Is he okay? I guess there really was no helping no matter the circumstance. Those... 'Figures', I saw them too. My wife, she was taken away from me, and they attacked me on sight. I was helpless..." He stared at the wall in thought. It didn't make sense. All this chaos with no warning? He felt a small sense of Deja Vu. None of this felt right.</p><p>"My biggest question is how I got from the Library on the bottom floor of the castle, to one at the very top. Did they expect me to collapse with the rest of the structure? What even caused it all to become so unstable in the first place? It doesn't make any sense..." He spoke his thoughts aloud, mostly to himself. "If I knew I would tell you. We're both clueless. Nothing else to do now but lick our wounds..." He gremlin leaned back against a wall and sighed, fiddling with his bandana absentmindedly. "I don't know what happened to the village. I at least need to see if anyone is still there, but... Oh, where is that darn cat? I cant just leave you here unattended." He glanced around, looking through a window outside and towards the door.</p><p>A black and white cat walked through a shadowed area in the corner of the hut. Neither of them noticed he was there, at least Oswald knew he didn't. "Yeah yeah, I'm here. Sorry, I didn't want to steal your spotlight." He spoke. How long was he just, standing there? Oswald suddenly felt very vulnerable. His voice was filled with dread and sarcasm, as if he did not want to be standing in the same room as the rabbit. Still, he make no attempt to leave. His eyes looked empty and emotionless. He looked like he'd been through hell and back. Knowing himself, he most likely has. His arm, his left one to be exact, showcased large claw marks. As if something, or someone, had attacked him previously. They didn't seem to be fresh, but it definitely was recent. It didn't look like they were healing whatsoever. "To be truthful? I didn't want us to reunite in this way. I mean, If you are 'him', which is... difficult to get that fact mistaken considering there aren't too many toons who look like yourself. Do you remember me? At all? Or did you also get hit on the back of the head at the castle?" </p><p>Oswald was instantly on guard as soon as the cat had stepped into the room. An almost painfully uncomfortable feeling nagged at the back of his head, screaming a name, a memory, that he just couldn't hear. The cat was very familiar, however, but nothing came to mind. Now that he thought about it, most everything before those moments in the Library before the commotion happened seemed blurry. "How did you know I got hit?" He asked with suspicion in his voice. He noticed that Gremlin Pascal had disappeared. To his village, he assumed.</p><p>It was clear that his toon knew him. He felt like there was a chance he knew him too, from how familiar he was, but he didn't want to hurt the cats feelings by speaking the truth. 'I don't remember' He said in his head. He eyed the marks on his arm, waiting for an answer. "Pshh, it was just an assumption. It's kind of hard to think otherwise when you have, like, all that going on." He gestured to Oswald's wounds. He responded in a defensive manner, crossing his arms in an attempt to giver his own injuries. He scoffed and shook his head. " So I'm assuming you don't know me? That's... fine. I expected it. I don't care." He claimed so, but he was clearly hurt. You could hear it in his voice. It was if he had gotten backstabbed by a close friend and attempted to ease the pain with a smile and a simple 'I'm fine'. He stared at the ground with a furrowed expression of his face, refusing to show the rabbit any sympathy.</p><p>Oswald squinted at the other in frustration. He clearly didn't know much about this toon at first glance, but he lived a life surrounded by happiness and honestly. Seeing someone who was clearly lying to his face and hiding something from him was aggravating, but he knew that pressing the matter wouldn't do either of them any good. He decided to change the subject. "Where are we? I didn't see much on the way here, and I rarely leave... well... what <em>used</em> to be the castle..." He crossed his arms. 'My castle' He whispered to himself. The frustration and grieving of the situation setting in. He lost his entire castle! Giant buildings and structures don't just all of a sudden come crashing down with no waring on their own. He knew someone was behind it. He knew something was up, and he hated that he didn't know what. </p><p>"You never left the castle walls? How did you manage to.. never mind, I guess it isn't any of my business, Your Majesty." His sarcastic tone returned, giving Oswald a small fake bow. He stood straight again, with surprisingly good posture. " I think this place is called Floatyard? I never payed attention to the island's name since this rundown of a haven isn't my home, but you of all people should know this land. It is under your watch, no?" </p><p>"I'm sure it is. The name rings a bell. I just cant see much from in here." Oswald stood and stretched, ending it with a yawn. His legs were still a little weak, but he managed to walk to a small window with little struggle. It was dark outside, at least from what he could see. It was familiar. "Speaking of names, You seem so familiar to me..." He trailed off as he turned his head to face the slightly taller cat. He flicked his eyes up and down, searching his mind for anything. Maybe he <em>did</em> know who he was, and much like everything else, he was just having memory loss. He hoped it to only be temporary. He huffed, frustrated, and turned back to look out the window. </p><p>"You don't need to call me 'Majesty'. I don't think anyone's spoken to me that formal in years, even with sarcasm. Just 'Oswald' will do just fine." The cat watched as the rabbit had made his way to the window, instantly looking the other way when their gazes met. "You don't know me, and if you did, you wouldn't remember". "God, I hope you remember..." He said under his breathe. A very small part of his begged for the royal rabbit to remember who he was. He hadn't changed within the past few years; in fact he barely grew at all. Mentally and physically. He hasn't grown a thing in that complex brain of his. And his appearance? Barely changed aside from the scars. "I'll call you what I want, Rabbit."</p><p>The rabbit scoffed, but remained silent, landing on an unspoken agreement with the other. He rested his arms on the windowsill. He was more or less staring off into space, not really presently looking outside. "So what now?" He asked. "The castle is gone, there's no recovering that, and I have not the slightest clue where my Queen, or any of my precious children are. For all I know they collapsed along with the castle." His voice was grim and filled with sorrow. He shivered at the idea of death, especially within his family. They weren't dead. They <em>couldn't</em> be dead. Weather it be denial or not. He just had a feeling, and he held onto that feeling as if his life depended on it. They were out there, and they were his first priority above all else.</p><p>"You're family is as good as dead" He spoke plainly, as if it were a statement. "Its like a scene from a play. You're living a happy life with your family; friends you consider family, and then disaster strikes. Leaving everybody dead but yourself. Everybody you ever loved, gone, without a trace. It's like you're the main character in a play, who was unlucky enough to survive." The cat got lost in his own train of thought, not even realizing he was talking out loud for so long until he wrapped up his response. A silence filled the room. He kicked lightly kicked the air, glimpsing back over at Oswald. He didn't mean to act so bitter towards the shorter toon, he really didn't, but it was the only emotion his brain felt like producing. He hated holding grudges. but he could not hold back anymore.</p><p>"If you really think you're family is still alive out there, then go ahead and run along; don't let me stop you." Every word that left the cats mouth filled Oswald with a burning hot wave of anger and rage. He gripped at his own arms so hard it hurt. "You've got a lot of nerve talking to <em>me</em> that way, <em>boy</em>…" He spat out, not bothering to turn around to face the other. "How dare you insult me in such a way, tell me my family is dead and everything I love is gone as if you know its a fact. If I wasn't so injured... Why I outta..." He inhaled, breathing deeply to calm himself before he actually tried to put up a fight with this random cat. 'You need rest' He reminded himself. This stress most definitely not good for him right now.</p><p>"Are you in here for any good reason, or is it just to torment me?" He tilted his head, but make little effort to actually look at the cat. He bit his lip, wanting so desperately to hurl the wounded toon across the room. "I have <strong>every</strong> right to talk to you the way I want to! You don't even know my name, <strong>my</strong> name-" The cat repeated himself, his voice cracking a little. His furrowed brows began to soften, whispering "You don't even know my..." with the rest being too mumbled to understand. He rapidly blinked over and over, possibly holding back tears, before looking back at Oswald dead straight in the eyes.</p><p>"No, I am not here to torment you, okay? I have my reasons for being here... It's just a mere coincidence that we are here in the same room together." Oswald stared back at the cat, waiting for him to finish, he knew there was more to be said. "Let me just raise this one question. Do you remember any of them? At all? Flip, or Felicity, or just... any of them?" Oswald furrowed his brow in thought. He turned his gaze back to the outside. He was overwhelmed, trying to remember anything at all, but it was as if something was purposefully blocking his memories. Like a wall, with a single foggy window, too foggy to see beyond. Only the blurry silhouettes of the memories behind it. He had no way to get to them. Except a very small crack.</p><p>"I haven't got a clue, Julius. What does it matter so much to you, and what does it have to do with me?" He paused. He slowly turned his head to the other, tilting it slightly. "Wait, Your name, is it... Julius? I have no idea how that name popped into my head..." Julius's ear twitched when hearing Oswald mention his name. What had suddenly clicked inside that rabbit's skull? What brought him to the conclusion that this 'random' cat is named Julius? He briefly nodded, raising an eyebrow at him. "Yeah, it is... How did you.." </p><p>A small rumble sound snapped his mind back into reality. It seemed like Oswald hadn't noticed it. Must just be a cat thing. He rushed to the door in a panicked manner, Suddenly remembering why he was there in the first place. He sure as hell wasn't sticking around to see what was soon going to become of the already in ruins Island. "We need to go. We need to go <strong>now</strong>." He exclaimed. "I'm sorry, I-I cant explain why but I can assure you that staying here means death." Oswald watched with a puzzled expression as the cat ran to the door. A small panic rising in his throat at the sudden alarm. He looked out the window again, half expecting to see those armored figures to march down and hurt him again, and take everything he had left. He stepped closer to the cat.</p><p>"Wait, hang on, what? What's going on? I thought Gremlin Pascal brought me here because it was safe. What's going to happen?" Suddenly a bright flash of light appeared in the center of the room. It faded and Pascal was in its place. He was panting, hugging himself/ He shook his hands, as if shaking off the anxiety, and he took a deep breath. "I-It's gone... The village is gone..." He shook his head, looking over at the rabbit with a terrified expression. 'Did I ever get his name?' He thought to himself. Oswald's face lit up, surprisingly happy to thee the gremlin once more. He definitely trusted him more than the cat. Though his excitement was short lived, remembering the anxiety of the current situation. Not to mention that Gremlin Village is supposedly gone; and he didn't know weather or not to look forward to seeing his family again or to <em>mourn</em> for them.</p><p>"Pascal! Julius said we need to high tail it out of this place or we're dead! What's going on?" He spoke fast with anticipation. Pascal looked at the cat, who was halfway out the door already, and then back at Oswald. "I-I don't know, Floatyard is fine, isn't it?" Julius had ran out the door, looking in all directions to determine the best way to book it. "It isn't- They're coming, they're coming again-" Before he could finish a thought, a loud thud is heard in the distance, followed by a gargantuan boom that shook the ground. He had started to breathe heavily. horrible flashbacks creeping into his though process and swirling around in his head, like cartoon birds when somebody gets knocked out. He glimpsed back at the other two, still standing inside the hut; A horrified expression on his face as he ran out of sight, as fast as possible. Maybe, just maybe a small part of him begged and prayed that Oswald would follow him.</p><p>Pascal, Worried about the inured rabbit, picked him up and stared after the cat. How the shit did that cat know about this? Oswald clung tightly to the gremlin as he started to run. <em>"Oh shit"</em> He whispered as the situation escalated faster than he imagined. How <em>did</em> the cat know about this? If they stayed they would probably be dead from whatever explosions sounded in the distance. Now he had two people to owe his life to. The booms continued. evenly spaced out, but getting closer. Something about them made something click in Oswald's brain. He heard that sound recently, a flood of memories suddenly coming back to him. </p><p>After he was attacked, he was drug away by the same figures that attacked him. He wasn't completely blacked out like he thought he was. He remembered those armored <em>things</em> dragging him up the many steps of the castle. He was thrown into another library, at the very top of the castle. They left him on the floor and marched out the door. He remembered his weak protests as the door was locked from the outside. A strange faint beeping sound was heard. He searched for it, and the second he acknowledged the source, a red light on the ceiling, it blew up in his face. Whatever that... bomb was, it knocked him out for real that time. That explained why the ceiling collapsed. It didn't explain anything else, however.</p><p>Pascals began to fly, making it easier to catch up to the cat who didn't slow down for anything. "Julius! What's going on? How did you find out about this?" He shouted over the sound of explosions. "Where the hell is the nearest projector..." Julius murmured to himself, frantically searching his surroundings. He hoped it wasn't too late. The booms shook the ground violently each time. Julius paused in place, balancing himself for a moment before starting to run again. He caught the gremlin in the corner of his eye, making him jump a little out of surprise. "More important question, Where's the projector to this stupid island?!" He shouted in fear and frustration. He didn't know this island well enough. Now he really wished he payed more attention and knew his surroundings more.</p><p>"There's one in the Alice in Wonderland section, Inside the cabin! It'll take us to an area with a projector directly connected to mean street!" He paused and looked another direction. "At least I think so..." Oswald interrupted his thought. "Y-Yeah that sounds right. That ones connected right to the outskirts of Mean Street, but the cabin is <em>towards</em> The explosions!" He cried, while simultaneously thinking of the next best exit. "That's a risk we have to take! Show us the way out of here!" Pascal nodded. "Follow me!" He took a sharp left, through tunnels and platforms above the void. They made it to a seemingly undamaged area, but the cabin had a giant hole in its left side. Thankfully, the projector was still inside.</p><p>Oswald struggled to get out of Pascal's arms once they stopped. "I can do this on my own." He explained. He limped up to the projector, checking it over to see if there was any damage. Well, there wasn't any <em>yet</em> but the monstrous ground shaking booms reminded him otherwise. "It's good to go" Oswald turned to the other two. "See ya on the other side, Rabbit." Julius jumped through without hesitation, not waiting a second for the others to go first. This was about him surviving, not them. Pascal picked Oswald up once more and followed Julius through. He wasn't dying, or having anybody else die today. If he ever sees those jerks... They'll pay for what they did to Gremlin Village.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>If you see any spelling or grammar mistakes feel free to let me know.</p>
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<a name="section0003"><h2>3. A Projection</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The toons finally reach the projector and escape, but even inside a seemingly perfect world, are they really safe?</p>
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    <p>It was still and quiet as they jumped through, much different from the chaos outside. A sterile calm washed his panic and fear, and his heartbeat finally had a chance to slow down. He rolled his eyes as the gremlin kept hold of him. "I could have gone through myself, Pascal." He huffed. "Sorry, I panicked." He explained as he gently set the rabbit down. He rested a hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?" He spoke softly with sympathy. Oswald needed a minuet to calm his breathing, not realizing how much he was hyperventilating that whole time. He felt lightheaded, and his wounds ached and seethed with pain. "I'm fine. We have to keep going, we lost Julius." He gestured ahead to the absence of the cat, who has already swiftly made his way through to the exit. </p>
<p>"Well, he shouldn't be that far off" Pascal stated as he walked ahead. It was empty, and honestly quite dangerous looking. The projector was to the left. There's no way Julius already made it to Mean Street, right? Of course he did. He got a huge head start, and was already standing outside Mean Street. It was only fair, he thought. At a quickened speed, he had made it far ahead from Oswald and Pascal. The tense did not leave his body, however, despite how boring this projector was compared to others in Wasteland. It's funny. This 'world', or 'projector screen' if you will, It isn't even real. It's nothing but a film reel; a memory of what once was. But damnit, it felt so real anyways. The ground, the toons, the looping music. Everything felt so perfect yet so off at the same time. Julius glimpsed behind him one last time, prepared to hop into the next projector and enter the next land. The other two couldn't even be seen; Which made sense considering Oswald was very wounded after all. That, or something bad happened to them, which was highly unlikely. </p>
<p>Oswald scanned the area and impatiently grabbed Pascal's hand, dragging him forward. He was very obviously slower than however fast the gremlin could go, but being the one to lead the way gave him a sense of authority; which is an environment he was definitely used to. He always felt calm and safe inside of the projectors. Sometimes he would go through them for fun, just to give him something to do. Right now he felt like nothing could harm him. Unfortunately, <em><strong>everything</strong></em> could harm him. </p>
<p>Many years ago, he remembered, a toon went through a projector. Something went wrong, and it got damaged while he was still inside. They fixed it, but the toon was nowhere to be found. They searched everywhere, but they seemingly just... disappeared. "You aren't safe" He quietly reminded himself as he trudged along to the next projector. Those explosions could easily destroy it the one they just jumped through. That thought alone game Oswald a sense of anxiety.</p>
<p> Pascal chuckled and allowed himself to be lead by the rabbit. He cleared his throat, now having a quiet moment to ask a question that's been on his mind. "Hey, Is your name... Oswald by any chance?" The question kind of felt dumb to ask now, but it was necessary for him to know for sure. Oswald opened his mouth to speak, but hesitation struck him and he closed it again. <em>'It's your name, dumb dumb, why are you hesitating?'</em> He asked himself. He shook the thought out of his head. "Uh, yes. I am Oswald. My apologies for not introducing myself earlier." Pascal shook his head "Oh. no no! Its fine, I just didn't ask until now..." Pascal examined the scenery. It was dark and dim. The air felt sad, almost tragic. What happened here, he asked himself. He simply shook his head and continued forward. Though they stopped every once and a while, Oswald seemingly tripping over and bumping into things as they went along. Of all times to close his contact lenses or glasses. His nearsightedness was getting to him. It didn't help that it was so dark. He considered allowing Pascal to carry him again.</p>
<p>"Oswald are you sure you're okay? You're tripping a lot." <strong>'Wow Pascal, that was incredibly rude of you'</strong> He stared ahead, gently tugging on Oswald's arm when an obstacle got in the way, making sure he didn't fall. "I can't fuckin see..." He murmured as a halfassed response, mainly focusing on the path ahead. Pascal hummed and used his free hand to remove his goggles. He squinted a bit, but it was fine otherwise. "Are you... Nearsighted?" Oswald sighed. "Unfortunately. I'm sure I wont be getting any glasses or contacts anytime soon. Everything I owned and loved disappeared along with the castle." He spoke grimly. </p>
<p>His focus was distracted by something nudging his side. Pascal was poking him with his goggles. "I'm gonna put something on you. I'm not sure if it will help a lot, but its better than nothing." He paused. "Um.. If that's okay with you, that is." Oswald stopped walking. He nodded, allowing the other to place the goggles over his eyes. He used his hands to adjust them to his comfort. They didn't help as much as his own glasses did, but things were certainly a lot less blurry. "Thank you. Can you still see?" The gremlin nodded "Oh, I can. Mine isn't as bad as yours, I think." He gestured ahead to the next projector. "We're almost there anyways, I'll be fine." Oswald nodded and took hold of Pascal's hand again, continuing to walk forward as Julius impatiently waited on the other side.</p>
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